Edge cutter attachment for sewing machines



1950 A. ALIFANO ETAL 2,493,735

EDGE CUTTER ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES I Filed March 13, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG./

lNVENTO R 5 ANTONIO ALIFANO @Vg NIOHOL M.PORRECA /8 8Y3 M.

ATTORNEY Jan. 10, 1950 A. ALIFANO ETAL EDGE CUTTER ATTACK-WENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed larch 1a, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS ANTONIO ALIFANO NICH LA MPORRECA IIAM-8 ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 10, 1950 EDGE CUTTER ATTACHMENT FOB SEWING MACHIN Antonio Alifano, Brooklyn, and Nicholas M. Porreca, Woodside, N. Y.

Application March 13, 1946, Serial No. 654,142

2 Claims.

This invention relates to edge cutters for sewing machines, and more particularly aims to provide a novel, efiicient, simple and practical edge cutter attachment for sewing machines, so constructed and devised that it may readily be attached to any ordinary sewing machine with but a very slight modification to the machine to convert the same to an edge cutter and as readily removed to restore the machine to its original form.

Basically the edge cutter attachment of this invention is substantially similar to that set forth in our copending application Serial No. 654,141 filed March 13, 1946, now Patent 2,443,369 granted June 15, 1948, under the same title as this application, but the instant invention embodies improvements and modifications over the invention as presented in the said copending application. The above broad as well as additional and more detailed objects will become apparent in the following description, wherein characters of reference refer to like-numbered parts in the accompanying drawing. It is to be noted that the drawin is intended solely for the purpose of illustration. and that it is neither intended nor desired to limit the sco e of the invention necessarilv to any or all of the specific details of construction shown exce ting insofar as they may be deemed. essential to the invention.

Referring briefiv to the. drawing. Fi 1 is a. fragmentary front elevational view of a sewing mach ne head and table. having the ed e cutt ng attac ment of this invention mounted in position thereon. with both the needle holder'bar and the moveable cutter jaw in elevated position partly in section.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the same.

Fi 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but shows the moveable cutter jaw and the needle holder bar both in their lowermost positions.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on the l ne H of Fig. 3, with the needle holder bar omitted to show more clearly the structure of the attachment.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1. a

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the removeable collar having a rigid pin projecting horizontally therefrom for the purpose to be described hereinafter, which is attached to the needle bar of the machine.

Fig. '7 is a perspective view in combination full line and phantom of a standard guide foot, the

ment after cutting away the half of the standard foot indicated in phantom.

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the cover plate of the table top of the machine, showing also the feed plate of the feed mechanism with relation thereto.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary perspective view of a sewing machine, showing the attachment in operation thereon.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the numeral It indicates the top or table of a standard sewing machine, having the cover plate II mounted by means of screws l2 over the opening into the feed mechanism of which the feed plate l3 forms a part but which is otherwise not shown.

The head of the machine is indicated fragmentarily at I, from which the foot bar l5 and the reciprocating needle holder bar It extend downward, over the feed plate IS. The split collar I1 is secured at the desired position on the needle bar It, by the screw l8, and has the pin l9 extending horizontally therefrom.

A horizontal plate which is flat at the bottom, shown at 20, is rigid with or forms part of an upright plate 2|. The forward end of the plate 20 is thickened upward at 22, and the upper surface of the thickened end 22 is beveled, that is, it slopes downward in a plane 25 which intersects the lower flat edge of the plate 20 at the forward extremity thereof. A shoulder 23 is formed along the upper edge of the thickened end 22, and a cutter blade 24 is secured, in the manner to be described, against the said plane surface 25 and registers against the shoulder 23. One side of the blade 24 extends beyond the surface 25 and the edge 26 thereof is sharpened and forms a cutter jaw in the manner to be described.

A lever 21 is pivoted, by means of a screw or the like 28, to the plate 2|, and on its forward end has a cutter jaw 29, with the beveled cutting edge 30. secured thereto, as by a screw 3 I. A lever 32'is pivoted at 33. the latter representing a screw or the like, and this lever has a longitudinal slot 4 n one end in which the collar pin I 9 registers. A link 35, pivoted at 36 to the lever 32 and at 31 o the lever 21. constitutes, together with the said levers. a linkage whereby reciprocating movement of the needle bar 16 transmits up and down movement of the cutter 29 past the cutting edge 26 of the blade 24. Thus. the cutter 29 and the blade 24 function together to cut. I

The plate 20 is secured to the feed cover plate ll of the machine in the following manner. A hole 38 is drilled through the plate H and sefull lines showing the foot used with this attach- 55 cured against the back of the plate around this plate ll.

In Fig. '7 is illustrated in combination full lines I and broken lines or phantom, a complete standard sewing machine foot 43. For the purpose of this invention, the standard foot has approximately half cut away or omitted to leave only the foot 44 shown in full lines. The square upper end of this foot, having the slot 46 therein,-.

is secured against the square lower end ll of the foot bar I! by means of a screw 45 which is preferably provided with a knurled head 48.

It is now apparent that as cloth or other fabric is fed in the usual manner into the machine,

, the needle 49 in moving up and down penetrates the-fabric and, simultaneously, the reciprocating movement of the needle bar causes up and down cutting action of the cutter jaw 29 against the cutting edge 28 of the blade 24 so that the edge is cut from the fabric simultaneously with the sewing thereof.

It is to be noted that the distance between 80 the seam being sewed and the edge being simultaneously cut in the fabric, may be varied by moving the plate laterally, which is permissible in view of the slot 39, in an obvious manner, and of the length of the pin 19. The blade 24 is secured against the surface 25 of the forward end 22 of the plate 20 by means of a screw 49, and in order to permit feeding of the blade toward the cutting plane after it has been resharpened, the blade is provided with the slot 50.

The head 42 .of the screw ll is preferably provided with one or more radial recesses SI so that it may be readily turned with the aid of a steel pin or the like, not shown, in the fashion of a v wrench.

The form of the attachment above described functions exactly and with the same efficiency as the forms set forth in our above-mentioned copending application. It is to be noted that the feed plate I 3 has a well-known movement resulting from the cam-like action of thefeed mechanism, not shown, to which itis attached, such that when the needle bar l6, and hence also the cutter jaw 29, are in their elevated positions shown in Fig. 2, the plate I3 is likewise in its elevated position with the spaced serrated walls 52 of the latter projecting through the slot: 53 in the cover plate II, and conversely, when the needle bar and cutter jaw 29 are in their lowered positions shown in Fig. 3, the feed plate walls 52 he below the upper surface of the cover plate ll. Thus, the feed plate does not interfere with the functioning ofthe device. Because of the close engagement of the bottom flat surface of the entire plate 20 against the cover plate ll,

the fabric being fed into the machine will readily ride up the sloping cutting edge 20 without any danger of its getting under the plate 20.

Obviously, modifications in form and structure may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. I

We claim:

1. An attachment for, and adapted to be used in combination with, a sewing machine having a vertical foot bar and a reciprocating needle bar depending from the head of the machine, comprising a base plate adapted to be mounted on the feed cover plate of the machine spaced from and inward with respect to the vertical plane through said bars, said plate having'an' enlarged forward end, having the upper surface thereof sloping downward in a forward direction, that vertical edge of said plate nearer said plane lying in a plane parallel with said first plane, a blade mounted on said sloping surface having one edge thereof projecting beyond said vertical edge of said plate and parallel therewith, said blade edge providing a cutting edge, said base plate having an upright extension plate integral therewith rearward 'of said enlarged forward end, a lever pivoted to said upright plate, a cutter having an arm extending integrally therefrom at right angles to the cutting edge thereof, releasable means securing said cutter arm to the'forward end of said lever at right angles to said lever, on the forward end thereof in scissors-like interrelationship with said blade edge, and means connecting the rearward end of said lever with said needle bar for actuating said cutter in. scissorslike motion with respect to said blade edge upon reciprocation of said needle bar, and means for securing said base plate against said cover plate.

. 2. An attachment for, and adapted to be used in combination with, a sewing machine having a vertical foot'bar and a reciprocating needle bar depending from the head of the machine, comprising a base plate adapted to be mounted on the feed cover plate of the machine spaced from and inward with respect to the vertical plane through said bars, saidplate having an enlarged forward end having the upper surface thereof sloping downward in a forward direction, that vertical edge of said plate nearer said plane lying in a plane parallel with-said first plane, a blade mounted on said sloping surface having one edge thereof projecting 'beyond. said vertical edge-of said plate andparallel therewith,

said blade providing a cutting-edge, said base I plate having anupright extension plate integral therewith rearward ofsaid enlarged forward end, a lever pivoted to said upright plate having a cutter on the forward end thereof in scissors- -llke interrelationshipwith said blade edge, ,and

means connecting therearward end of said lever with said needle bar for actuating said cutter in scissors-like motion with respect to said blade edge upon reciprocation of said needle bar, and means for securing said base plate agains'tsaid cover plate, said sloping surface of said enlarged forward end of said base plate having a shoulder extending along the upper-edge thereof, the upper edge of said blade registering against said a shoulder.

ANTONIO ALIFANO. NICHOLAS M. PORRECA.

REFERENCES CITED 2 The following references 7 Number Name Date 485,538 Forbes -e Nov. 1, 1892 818,977 Baumann Feb. 7, 1899 2,021,700

are of record in the Pugach Nov. 19, 1035 

